By Peter Elacqua
Staff Writer
MARLBORO – The Planning Board has approved the construction of a Burger King restaurant on Route 9 south near Route 520 in Marlboro.
An application submitted by Route 9 Holdings LLC received municipal approval during a recent meeting. The applicant was represented by attorney Dante Alfieri.
The plan proposed the construction of a 2,676-square-foot building with 52 seats for patrons and drive-up service on a 9.7-acre property on Route 9 south, about 1,600 feet north of Route 520.
Access to the Burger King will be right in and right out turns from/to Route 9 south. The applicant will provide 28 parking spaces. The property is currently a wooded area.
Landscape and lighting improvements will include a 25-foot-tall sign. The building will be serviced by municipal water and sanitary sewer services on Route 9.
Applicant and corporate representative John Chang presented testimony regarding the typical operation of a Burger King restaurant. Chang said the Marlboro location will be the 63rd site under his operation.
Chang said each Burger King he operates has between six and eight employees working during off-peak hours and between eight and nine employees working during peak hours. Typical hours of operation are 6 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week.
Board members asked Chang what the percentage of dine in and drive-up customers is expected to be at the Marlboro restaurant.
Chang said the drive-up operation typically accounts for about 60 percent of the business at each of his locations. He said he is anticipating the drive-up operation to account for about 70 percent of the business in Marlboro as a result of the high volume of vehicles on Route 9.
The board’s engineer, Laura Neumann, said if every aspect of the development process advances without a problem, the new restaurant could open in November.
Board Chairman Mark Barenburg and board members Michael Slotopolsky, Andrew Pargament, David Gagliano and Rohit Gupta voted to approve the application. Board Vice Chairman Michael Messinger voted no on the motion to grant approval to the Burger King.
